


I Promise I'm Changing Book One: Separation

by Lunarlight97



Series: I Promise I'm Changing [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Avatar: The Last Airbender AU, Bending (Avatar), Enemies to Lovers, Everything Changed When The Fire Nation Attacked, F/F, Friends to Enemies, I'm not kidding this is going to be SO SLOW, Slow Burn, Strap in, This is the Slowest Burn, You're going for a long ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-01-23 17:51:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21324235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarlight97/pseuds/Lunarlight97
Summary: Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked... Again. In a world where balance is on the brink of collapse and the Avatar has disappeared from the world once more, things are getting close to falling apart all over again. Catra and Adora grew up in the Fire Nation, and now it's time to take back the territory they lost centuries ago. The Fire Nation will be great again! But when a mission goes wrong and Adora gets kidnapped, the Fire Nation's plan gets turned upside down. There's a secret here, beneath the surface, because no one knew the Avatar was right under their nose.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Angella/Micah (She-Ra), Minor Adora/Huntara
Series: I Promise I'm Changing [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537996
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> Thank you for stopping by to read this, it's one of the first fics I've ever posted on AO3. I've never written for She-ra or Avatar before, so these characters and setting are all new to me, but I hope I did them justice.
> 
> I'd like to thank my beta reader for making sure this fic isn't absolute garbage and for inspiring the idea in the first place. We've been coming up with all the ideas together, I've just been the one putting it into words, so thank you again. 
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this fic and please feel free to leave any constructive criticisms in the comments.

Adora

I know we’re reaching the end, because Catra’s breathing is growing harsh. She’s lunging more too, that’s another tell. The more impatient Catra gets, the more predictable she becomes. Her stance is getting way too rigid and she knows it, tries to shake it off and fill her lungs with more than just irritation, but I can tell that the air won’t run deep enough, won’t calm her the way she wants it too. Her flow is off, and it’s driving her insane. 

It’s important to breathe when it comes to fire bending. Your breath gives you energy, and that energy gives you power. Shadow Weaver has told us that a thousand times by now, and it always comes to mind whenever I’m fighting Catra. I find myself wanting to remind her, and I have on more than one occasion but it only ever makes it worse. She’ll squint her eyes, (I can never get over the beauty of their duality. It makes her look exotic and wild.) and say “How about you worry about yourself?” Her movements will get a little stilted after that. She blames me when Shadow Weaver gets on her about it.

“What’s wrong, Adora? Getting tired?” She’s grinning, arms still up, stance still wide. She’s trying to play it cocky as we circle each other, each person waiting for the other fumble. She’s good at being cocky, even when she feels like shit. The best way to tell if she’s faking is to watch her fingers, see if they seek something to fumble with. 

“Not nearly as tired as you,” I smile back and watch her pace. She’s slowing down, getting a little more tense, her arms pull in just a fraction and I know it’s coming before the first embers strike out from her fists. 

If there’s one thing about Catra, it’s that she’s fast. With each burst of flame that’s sent my way, she draws a step closer. Within a second she’s close enough to touch. I know she’s trying to knock me back, to get me to stumble over myself like I’ve done in the past, but I saw it coming this time. It’s easy to trip her up when she isn’t expecting it, to catch her legs with my own before a quick elbow sends her down. She lands with a grunt and I’m quick to pull an arm back, ready to bend should she try to get up. 

She sends a glare my way, but the way her bottom lip pushes out tells me she’s more disappointed than anything. I can’t help but smile. Catra withholds for as long as she can, but a low chuckle works its way out of her, softening her gaze and pulling the corners of her mouth higher than they have been all day. 

I extend my hand, pulling Catra up when she accepts it. “Looks like I win.”

“Yeah, yeah, I let you win. Don’t let it go to your head.” She crosses her arms, smirk never fading. It’s an integral part of Catra’s appearance, like her eyes. She isn’t herself when that smirk is absent. 

I run and grab my water off one of the waist-high walls bordering the practice arena. It’s lukewarm from the sun, but I drink it anyway. I shouldn’t have tried to breathe fire today. I’ve only ever seen someone do it once, and it’s a pretty advanced move, but I want to do it someday. It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, but it always makes my throat ridiculously dry. If that fight had lasted any longer it would have seriously started to bother me.

I drink until the cup is empty and even then, I still feel thirsty. There’s an itch I can’t reach.

“I knew you were going to break soon. Every time you try that you have to drink six glasses of water.” If I wasn’t so used to Catra sneaking up on me, she would probably scare the shit out of me everyday. Her steps are so quiet, I told her she could probably take Ba Sing Se in a day if she wanted to. She could sneak in, snuff out whoever leads the city, and take it for herself faster than the rest of us could even get over the wall. She says, it’s not worth it. She says I’m supposed to be the favorite.

“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have done that.” I say, grabbing Catra’s water and begin the process of downing it. She doesn’t protest, thankfully.

“Ah, don’t say that. It makes it easier to kick your ass when you constantly fuck up.” Catra laughs, leaning against the wall as relaxed as ever.

The breeze pulls at Catra’s hair. It’s always a mess, a mass of tangles and knots that she gets too frustrated with and I always end up brushing it out for her. She hates it, and it usually takes about fifteen minutes if she’s gotten it really messy. I don’t mind, only because her hair is unnecessarily soft. I don’t know how, considering she doesn’t really take care of it in any special way, it’s just like that. Soft and thick and it lays down really nice right after it’s brushed out. It only takes about five minutes for it to poof out again, but it still looks good anyway. It makes her look more like the Fire Lord’s daughter and less like someone who could slit your throat in your sleep.

“You did well Adora. You’re improving.” Her voice comes from the opposite end of the training yard. 

“Thank you, Shadow Weaver.” I say, bowing a little at the praise, a smile working its way onto my face. Shadow Weaver is almost as quiet as Catra, and she’d probably scare me more too if Catra hadn’t desensitized me to things like this. 

“Catra, you need to have more patience. You’re training is lacking.” She turns then, facing Catra who’s already scowling. It’s not a good sign. Then again, the two of them in any room together is never a good sign.

“Oh _ sorry _, I’ll try to be as perfect as Adora next time.” Catra sneers in response. The light mood from earlier has all but evaporated into the air, lost in the tensions that constantly follows Catra and Shadow Weaver around. It’s like a blaze that never burns out. It’s intense and immediate and I don’t know how either of them hold such a hatred towards each other. But it’s there and it’s loud. 

“You would do well to watch how you speak to me. You may be the Fire Lord’s daughter, but all I have to do is tell him how disobedient you are and any action I take against you will be forgiven.” Her eyes narrow, voice low. The threat is not an idle one, she’s gotten Catra in more trouble than either of us would like to admit.

Catra scoffs, but doesn’t say anything else, just crosses her arms and glares at a spot on the ground. It’s unusual that she gives up so early, but Shadow Weaver seems more agitated than normal. 

Shadow Weaver turns to me again, the irritation from just a second ago eases, “The Fire Lord and I have decided that you are ready to take the next step,” she glances at Catra, “both of you.” 

“Wait, are you sending us on a mission?” I ask, trying hard to keep the excitement out of my voice, but I know it bleeds through anyway. I feel the itch in my throat die.

“Yes. You are to take back one of our villages. The Earth Kingdom has held onto it long enough. It’s time to begin taking back what we lost.” Her hand comes to rest on my head, gently patting me in a way she’s done since I was little.

“We won’t let you down.” I say, flashing a grin at Catra, but she’s too busy glaring at Shadow Weaver. Despite the irritation, I can tell Catra’s mood has improved if only slightly. The harsh lines of her scowl have eased a bit even if the fire in her eyes still burns bright. 

"Come see me an hour from now and I'll brief you on the mission. Adora, you'll be leading this time." Shadow Weaver says, turning to leave. "And Catra," she doesn't look at her, "I'm giving you an opportunity to prove yourself. Don't disappoint me." 

Shadow Weaver strides away towards the palace, disappearing inside and leaving me with a seething Catra.

"Well, I guess we should go get ready." I say, trying to smile despite Catra's obvious anger. She looks like she might explode at any moment, so I don’t risk reaching out to her. There have been times that I’ve tried, but half the time it just causes her to erupt. I think it’s because she doesn’t want to be seen as weak.

"Sure." 

\-------

Tomorrow is the big day. Shadow Weaver briefed us on the mission three days ago and we’ve spent the time helping with preparations and planning out a strategy. It’s not that complicated, but we had to plan out the routes of our ships to keep from drawing too much attention. We don’t want the Earth Kingdom to know we’ve hit them until it’s too late. 

It’s easy to plan and map things out, but it’s hard to wait. The waiting is really what’s killing me, which is probably the weirdest part about all of this. I’ve waited years just to get approved to go out on a mission, and now that I have one, it feels like I’m going to have to wait another year instead of a day. 

I don’t imagine I’ll be sleeping tonight, and I don’t think Catra will either. We haven’t slept in the same room in years, not since Scorpia came along and asked if we were dating. (I explained that we were just friends. It really agitated Catra. I think she insisted we stop having sleepovers because she didn’t want anyone else to get the wrong idea.) (Which sucks, cause I really miss them.) But even if it’s been awhile, I can still imagine that Catra’s too busy pacing to sleep. She’s always been the antsy type, and I think it kinda rubbed off on me. Sometimes I’ll catch myself fidgeting and have to make myself stop.

But it’s just one of those nights. The ones where I can’t help but sit up in bed and bounce my leg or twist around, trying in vain to close my eyes. If you look close, there’s a sliver of moon left in the sky, but it’ll be absent from tomorrow night’s sky. Most of our journey will be taking place at night, but we have to finalize our preparations and set sail just past noon. 

I’ve checked my bag six times to make sure everything is there, but I can’t help but feel an itch to go through it one more time. It’s just a small knapsack packed with a change of clothes and a hairbrush, but it feels like I need to pack something else. Like I’m missing something that I can't live without. The crew is going to bring food and clean water and anything else we need, but I can’t help but think that there’s something I’m going to want once we set sail. 

I stand up with a sigh, bending a small flame from my fingers to light a nearby candle. I know I should leave it here, where I don’t risk losing it, but I get down and reach a hand underneath my bed anyway. The box is bigger than it needs to be, I don’t keep a lot in here, but I can’t help but think that maybe I’ll add something new at some point and then I’ll be glad that I have a box this big. When I pull off the lid, it looks like junk; a collection of smoothed out rocks and shells, a couple of marbles I especially liked as a kid, some loose change that I didn’t want Catra to find.

I push a couple of shells around, my fingers finding what I’m looking for faster than my eyes can. I pull it out by the end, a tightly woven band, black in color with a turquoise stone threaded through and tied in place. Catra gave it to me on my eleventh birthday, a gem she found one day and had woven into a necklace. It’s the best gift I’ve ever received, even if I couldn’t wear it. I’ve been terrified Shadow Weaver would take it if she ever found it. 

I close up the box and place it back under my bed, then pull my bag over and tuck the necklace into one of the side pockets. I clasp the pocket, double checking that there’s no way the necklace could fall out. With just that small action, I feel the anxiety slip away. I’m just left with anticipation now. It’s bizarre, how easily the feeling fades.

Once I’m satisfied, I stand, blow out the candle, and climb back into bed. I still don’t think I’m going to sleep, but I feel a lot better. It feels a little easier to watch the stars pass.

\-----

Luckily for Catra and I, boats don’t bother us. The push and pull of waves are something we’ve grown accustomed to over our years from the occasional trips we take. We’ve gone to ember island a couple times and some festivals that are faster to get to by boat then by land. It’s not often that we go, but sometimes Shadow Weaver will approve it.

A couple of our comrades have taken to hovering by the edge of the ship, sometimes peaking their heads over the rim to empty what little remains in their stomachs. It’s a miserable affair, but one that Catra and I ignore throughout the trip. Neither of us mind, so long as their ready by the time we need to commence our mission.

It’s not quite dawn, but it’s a close thing; there’s the faintest hint of red where the sky and ocean meet. If you squint hard enough, you can tell that there’s land on the far side of the horizon. I’m trying to not get excited, but it’s hard when you know that what you’ve been waiting for all of your life is just ahead of you.

“We need to gather everyone up and go over the plan.” I’m trying desperately not to bounce on my toes, but I feel like I’m bursting with energy. I haven’t slept enough for the past couple days, but I don’t feel it right now. All I feel is adrenaline and anticipation. It’s like I could walk from the top of the earth kingdom’s continent to the opposite end and still not feel the pull of sleep. 

The last time I was this excited, Catra and I had planned on sneaking out at night to go swimming. That was about seven years ago, back when we were thirteen and we thought we were invincible. Shadow Weaver had prevented us from going to swim that day, so when the moon showed itself, so did we, dressed in one piece swimsuits, running into the ocean and trying not to freeze our asses off. It was late Autumn, which probably explains why we were forbidden from swimming, but we were relentless back then. 

“Relaaax, It’s fine. We’ve already gone over the plan like five times, I’m sure everyone’s got it memorized by now. Except maybe Kyle.” Catra practically purrs, slinging an arm across my shoulders. Her smile is a mile wide, her gaze reflecting the remaining starlight. 

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re probably right.” I take in a deep breath and exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. “But maybe we should just go over it one more time. Don’t you think? I mean, what if someone forgot something. What if someone doesn’t know what to do when we dock? What if something bad happens? Maybe we should make a back up plan real quick. I mean what if Kyle isn’t the only-”

“Adora! Fuck, just calm down. You’re even stressing me out.” It’s not hard to stress Catra out and you can always tell by the way her eyebrows draw together. Sometimes I flick her on the forehead and it makes it worse, but it’s kinda funny. She’s right though, I need to calm down.

“Okay! Okay. You’re right.” I press my fingers onto my temples, breathing deeply again, but this time, it’s smoother, feels cleaner; it cuts through my anxiety like it’s intended. “Yeah, I feel better. I’m calm.”

She raises an eyebrow, “If you say so.” 

We are quiet for the rest of the trip. I do end up pulling Kyle aside and confirm he knows the plan, just because if I don’t I think I’m going to lose my fucking mind. 

Breathing is getting a little harder as the sun starts to break the horizon. Everything is going to start happening fast now. I suddenly feel sick, but it’s not the type where I need to fill the ocean with bile, it’s the type that makes my head light and makes me feel a little dizzy. Catra grips my arm, her thumb swiping over my inner wrist in a way that should be too intimate, but it pulls me down, soothes my soul. 

_ The breath gives you energy, and energy gives you power. _

I fill up on deep breaths, count to seven, release, count to seven, deep breath.

_ When you’re firebending, you need to breathe. You can’t bend without breath. _

I feel the sun as it rises, see the light as it builds, feel the power it gives me, feel my blood catch fire. 

The world needs to change, and we are going to change it. 

\---

They don’t expect the attack until we’re on the shore. The second Catra and I step forward, dressed for battle and flames licking from our fingers, most of the nonbenders bolt. There aren’t many earthbenders here, but they are quick to start throwing boulders our way. Catra is quick to move. To those who aren’t used to her movements, it’s dangerously difficult to keep track of where she is. She uses her bending as a distraction, people are naturally afraid of fire, and she’s not afraid to bend it at your face while she kicks you in the knees and forces you to collapse. 

I’m not as fast as Catra, but I’m just as skilled. It’s not often that I spar earthbenders, but I’ve done it before and I know how to dodge earth bending basics. None of these people are fighters, they’re artisans and shop owners, and it’s obvious by how slow and unpolished their skills are. It’s easy, bending waves of flame, pushing them back until they realize they’re outmatched. We’ve placed half of the crew on capture duty. Those that Catra knocks over, Lonnie and Kyle are quick to bind their wrists and take them towards the ship. 

A couple of the earthbenders I’m fighting, a man and a woman, make a run for it. It’s easy to take down the two remaining men. They land with grunts when I strike them down. I leave them there for the crew to take prisoner, I don’t want those other two to get away. Leaving earthbenders behind is dangerous. If you get enough earthbenders together, it doesn’t matter how big your army is, you can get into serious trouble.

I know I’m fast, even if I can’t compare to Catra. I saw them turn onto a path up ahead and I try desperately to catch up, making a sharp left and navigating the road as it unwinds naturally. I keep catching glimpses of them as they try to turn corners. I know I’m catching up, but it’s a slow-going process. I wish this was Catra chasing them instead. She’d would have had them on the ground thirty meters ago. 

I turn another corner, one that lets out into the woods behind the town. I can’t help but feel agitated, because it’s practically a lost cause now. The underbrush is thicker than I’d like and there are too many damn trees. I might be able to track them, but I don’t know if I would be fast enough. Fuck the hesitation, if I wait any longer I really will lose them. 

I crash into the forest, branches pull at my hair and clothes. Leaves and weeds rush to get out of my way as I force myself through. I stop long enough to tell there are tracks in the dirt and it pushes me forward with a desperate energy. I’ve already come this far, I don’t want to have to turn back now. Our orders were to take every earthbender, and I’m not going to disappoint Shadow Weaver when I get home. 

I leap over logs and step around any rocks in my way. It’s difficult to see, especially with how fast I’m moving, but there seems to be a pretty natural path to follow, one that’s probably been carved out by the surrounding wildlife. 

I move as quick as I can, an upcoming clearing looking promising. I see someone up ahead, but I don’t think it’s either of the people from before.

Upon closer inspection, she isn’t the same person from before. She’s more tan, her short hair a bizarre mix of pink and purple and it almost seems to shimmer in the sun. Weird. She looks startled to see me, and I can’t really say I blame her. I did just come sprinting through the forest dressed for battle and probably looking a bit wild. 

“Who are you?” She sounds surprisingly steady despite her obvious alarm. She takes in my appearance carefully. Once. Twice. “Oh god. You’re on a raid, aren’t you?” There’s disgust there, plain as day and on display. 

“These were our lands first.” I retort, getting into stance. She’s at a disadvantage if this gets out of hand. Fire catches quick in places like this. 

She scoffs, “Since when? This has always been Earth Kingdom territory.” 

“Liar!” I shoot off then, kicking my leg out and sending fire with it. My hands are quick to follow, backing the first attack with a couple more bursts of flame. 

She pulls up an earth wall and responds in kind by sending a couple boulders my way. One flies just past my head as I dodge and another comes aimed at my feet. I jump over it, sending another series of fireballs when I land. 

I may have lost those two earthbenders, but I managed to find one more at least. This one is a bit more skilled than the others anyway. 

“You’re the liar! The only time the Fire Nation owned this land was during the Hundred Years War.” She stomps the ground, pulling up another boulder before launching it in my direction.

“That’s not true! The Fire Nation owned these lands long before the Hundred Years War.” I jump aside, hearing some of the trees crash down behind me. I send out more fire, trying to hold the stream of it for as long as I can. She pulls up a fresh earth wall, this one taller and wider. 

“Are all your people this stupid, or is it just you?” The earth wall starts coming my way, fast enough that I have to dive away and to the side. It puts me on the ground, but luckily not long enough for the girl to take advantage of it. I’m up before she even seems to notice where I am. 

“I’m not stupid. At least our bending doesn’t look like a savage came up with it.” I breath deep, and send a wave of flames that are too fast and almost too large to avoid. She manages it just barely by throwing herself to the ground. 

“Excuse me? Our bending is beautiful.” She picks up rocks the size of my head like they’re lighter than air and throws them in my direction. Her aim is off and she misses me by a long shot. 

I scoff, “Oh yes, beautiful.” I take an earthbending stance, one that’s ridiculously wide and too rigid to ever be a proper way to bend, that’s for sure. “Look at me. I earthbender. I throw rock!” I stomp the ground, taking a look at a nearby rock and imagine bending it in the opposite direction. 

The rock indeed, shoots off in the opposite direction, tearing through some of the earth and trees on it’s way.

“Uhhh… did you do that?” I look at her, but she’s staring at me like I’ve somehow grown another head in the span of three seconds. Clearly it wasn’t her. I spin around, looking for someone else through the undergrowth, but I don’t think I see anyone.

That’s so bizarre. How- I feel the blow to the back of my head, but the darkness consumes so fast that I don’t even remember hitting the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me 800 years. I have finals next week so then I have no excuses for like a month. I'm going to try for every 2 weeks for a chapter, but no promises. 
> 
> Thank you again to my beta reader. Bless you and your patience.

Did I get trampled by a saber tooth moose lion? Am I even alive? My head really fucking hurts, so I’m probably not dead. Can you feel pain when you’re dead? I don’t know, but I know that this sucks. I can feel my heartbeat in my brain, pulsing painfully. 

I groan, trying to blink my eyes open. It’s hard, and the sun is high, stinging my eyes and making me want to turn away. My surroundings are blurry, morphed and shaped like it’s been painted in loose lines. I feel a little nauseous. It’s not enough to make me sick, but it’s enough to make itself noticeable. God I feel awful. 

I bring a hand up to rub at my head… or at least I try. Are my wrists bound? I experimentally try to pull one of my feet up and feel the restraints at my ankles too. When did that happen? I crane my neck, trying to get a glimpse of what’s going on. I’m on the ground and for the first time, I realize someone is talking. I manage to roll over onto my back, turning my head to look at what would have been behind me a second ago. 

There’s a girl there, one that looks familiar. With an odd combination of pink and purple hair… the earthbender. I was fighting her. She’s talking to some guy, one that’s a bit taller than her, a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. He probably can’t bend then. The girl seems frantic, wild. The guy is trying to calm her down. 

“Bow, this is war! They’re starting a war! Again!” Her hands fist in her hair, tugging it in a way that reminds me of Catra when she gets desperately frustrated. 

“Okay, okay, relax. It’s gonna be fine. Look, we’ll go back and talk to your mom about it. She needs to know as soon as possible that the Fire Nation is trying to attack villages. She’ll know what to do, it’s going to be fine.” He places his hands on her shoulders, leaning down a bit to look her in the eye. He flashes her a grin and she seems to relax a little in response.

Her eyes flicker to mine, the soft smile that’s formed on her face quickly morphing into a scowl. Her eyebrows knit together, and I almost find the urge to laugh because I’ve seen this look on Catra so many times that I can’t keep count. I cough instead and it sends my head through a fresh wave of pain.

“You! You are going to be answering some questions.” Her hands are rough as she sits me up and presses me back to lean against a nearby tree. 

“I don’t think you’ll be getting much out of me.” I say, but it’s crunch time. I fucked up and I need to figure out what the hell is going on. 

I fought this girl in the early morning, and it’s just around midday now, we’ve probably made some distance since then, the woods don’t look the same. The trees are different, thinner, more spaced out. It’s a different forest. The air smells fresh, no hint of salt or sea. They’ve taken me inland, most likely. It must have been a slow going process, they don’t have any mounts to ride, although I suppose the girl could have used her bending to move me a bit easier. Based on our fight, she has the talent to be an excellent earthbender, but she doesn’t have the experience. I’ve definitely seen better.

Now, where the fuck is Catra. If anything, I’m surprised it’s taken her this long, but I know if I just have patience, she’ll come. She will find me, I just have to bide my time. If I take my time and drag out this interrogation, I can give her the opportunity to catch up. I just need to relax.

_ Relaaaax Adora. It’s gonna be fiiiine. _

“Oh, I’ll make you talk.” The girl says, as if that will actually intimidate me. It makes me want to spit in her face. I would too, if I thought I could make it from this distance.

I look away in response, taking in the forest, trying to gather any more clues as to where I might be. There are plenty of landmarks in the Earth Kingdom, so maybe if I spot one, I can figure out the easiest route to getting back. As much as I’d love to retrace the path I’m sure we’ve created on our way here, I’d like to know for certain should the trail have been disturbed along the way. 

“Why is the Fire Nation invading the Earth Kingdom? Why are you starting another war?” The girl asks, and I take care to pretend I haven’t heard her at all. 

The irritated huff is almost enough to make me smirk until I get a swift kick to the shin.

“Ow! Look I don’t know anything, okay. I’m just one of the low level grunts. You learn not to ask questions, okay.” It’s a lie, but they don’t know who I am. (Thankfully, because if they knew that I was associated with Catra it would be game over for sure. The best friend of the Fire Lord’s only child is bound to be at least a little bit useful.) 

“As if. You have to know something. It wouldn’t make any sense to send someone out with no information.” The girl crosses her arms, her gaze gaining an intensity I’ve never seen before, “so tell us what you do know.”

I sigh, adjusting to get comfortable. I’m a terrible liar, Catra’s told me so herself, but I’m hoping I can get away with it. I asked her one time, how she can tell. She didn’t want to tell me. She said it’s better to know when I’m fibbing so she can give me hell for it. I wish she was easy to read, but she’s one hell of a liar. I don’t know where she gets it from.

“I don’t know anything, and even if I did, I probably forgot it. Clearly someone hit me over the head pretty hard.” I try not to sound snarky, but it comes out anyway. 

The girl narrows her eyes, it’s clear she wants to kick me again, but a hand comes to rest on her shoulder. It’s the guy she was talking to earlier. His eyes are softer, more gentle. He’s handsome, objectively speaking. The kindness behind his smile seems genuine. It’s a surprise after dealing with the girl. Something settles somewhere in my chest, an anxiety I didn’t know had been building. I try to scold myself, because it almost feels like letting my guard down, but it’s something different. It’s more calming than disarming, and that alone allows me to relax a bit. 

“Sorry about that, Glimmer told me the whole story. She tried to knock you out but I think she overdid it.” His hand comes to rest at the back of his neck, a sheepish smile resting naturally on his face.

“I’m sorry, Glimmer?” I ask. There’s no way.

“That would be me.” The girl says, still heavily agitated.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” My breath catches in my throat. It’s hard to hold back.

“What?” She looks curious, if not a little concerned. Her crossed arms relax a bit as she turns to face me a bit more.

“Who names their kid, Glimmer? Is that your actual name?” I can’t help it, the laughter spills out of me, breaking the surface and bubbling over into something loud and obnoxious. 

“Wha- Of course it’s my actual name! What’s wrong with it?” She sputters, eyes wild as she steps forward, looking as if she’s going to knock me out all over again.

“Hey! Woah! Woah! No need to fight, everything is all good. Glimmer, it’s okay, I like your name. It suits you!” The guy steps in front of her, blocking her path, his hands held up in a gesture of surrender. 

Glimmer huffs, her hands curled into tight fists as she stares down her companion, “move out of the way, Bow.” 

“Hey, look, we are trying to talk to her, right? She’s just trying to get a rise out of you.” The guy, Bow, that’s his name, tries to use a soothing tone. 

It would probably work if I wasn’t still laughing. I mean I’m practically crying at this point.

“It doesn’t matter. She’s just a low level grunt, remember?” She’s practically seething at this point.

“C’mon Glimmer, you know that’s not true. Look at how she’s dressed. They don’t stick low level grunts in armor that fine.” Bow’s still using that soothing voice, but the comment cuts my laughter short.

Shit.

Bow turns back to me, Glimmer having settled enough that he doesn’t have to worry she’s going to decapitate me. I see it now, the intelligence in his gaze. He’s not an idiot, just calm enough to come off friendly. “Okay, so back to what I was saying earlier. Glimmer told me everything that happened. Why were you guys leading a raid?”

I take a deep breath, because, okay, maybe I’m not a low level grunt. But maybe I can pass for some ditzy authority that got promoted based on time rather than merit. I wish Catra was here to cover me.

“We weren’t leading a raid. Look, they told me we were going on a mission, that we were going to an Earth Kingdom village that had threatened us. We were ordered to make peace with them, but they attacked us!” My voice goes a little shrill towards the end, even I can tell. I bite my tongue, using the pain to ground myself a bit, clear out my head from the panic a little. “We… I was attacked and I was trying to run. I thought I could lose them in the wood, but then I ran into her.” I use my head to motion towards Glimmer. 

“Nice try, but we know it’s a raid. You didn’t exactly deny it earlier.” Glimmer says, “You’re trying to take over the Earth Kingdom.” 

“What? No.” It sounds fake. It sounds sooo fake. I say it too quick and there’s too much tension in my shoulders.

Glimmer opens her mouth to retort, but Bow is leaning back in, cutting her off with his own question, “But why are you helping the Fire Nation take over the Earth Kingdom? Aren’t you the Avatar?”

What did he say? The Avatar? I thought the Avatar had been missing for ages, at least that was what Shadow Weaver told me. Besides, the Avatar is one of the enemies, right? The whole Fire Nation knows that the Avatar has always held a bias and resentment over the Fire Nation, even the ones that are born there have a tendency to be traitors. It’s something in their blood, their reincarnation just can’t stand us as a whole. It’s sickening. And that’s not me, I’m not a traitor and I’m not the Avatar. I mean that’s laughable.

“I’m not the Avatar.” I don’t know where they got that idea. Clearly I’m a fire bender, hell I even fought this stupid earth bending girl.

Bow raises a brow, “Glimmer saw you earth bending.”

Earth bending… That rock… That was someone else, surely. That wasn’t me. It was for sure one of those people I had been chasing. They were earth benders so that makes sense.

“Wait, you were chasing people!” Glimmer shrieks, Bow throwing an arm out to keep her at bay.

I said that out loud, I guess. 

“Glimmer said she made sure no one else was around, that had to be you.” Bow is so relaxed somehow, taking all of the knowledge I’m giving him and storing it away in an inquisitive mind. This is really bad.

“Well I think I would know if I’m the Avatar.” This is impossible, there’s literally no way. They’re making this up.

“Maybe you could try earth bending, just to see.” Bow suggests, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant way. 

I scoff, rolling my eyes. This is ridiculous. Who are these people? Don’t they know the Avatar is gone. I can’t be the Avatar because there is _ no _ Avatar. 

Wait a second. If I have to try earth bending, they’ll have to untie me. With my fire bending I could probably get away and find a way to get back to Catra.

Okay, so maybe this guy isn’t so smart after all. That suggestion is the dumbest thing I’ve heard all day. Not only is he believing in something that literally doesn’t exist, but he’s basically letting his captive go free? What a joke! Maybe I don’t need Catra for this. 

“Well… if you really think I’m the Avatar, then maybe I should give it a try?” I try not to sound over eager or excited, I try to act like I’m genuinely curious.

Glimmer sends a glare my way just as Bow seems to grin and perk up. 

“No. Nuh-uh. No way. Are you kidding me, Bow? If we release her restraints she’s going to try and escape!” Glimmer points an accusatory finger my way as she talks to her partner. 

“What? No, of course not! I’m genuinely curious. I mean, if no one else threw the rock it has to make sense, right?” I know she can probably see right through me, but I really, really hope that Bow is trusting enough that I can take advantage of this. 

“Well, you could always restrain her feet with earth bending! And then she can’t run away.” Bow says, his eyes lighting up as his voice rises a bit.

Glimmer stares him down for a bit. She doesn’t shift her expression in anyway, but Bow’s smile grows wider after some amount of time. It’s not long after that that she gives a huff, her head hanging a bit. “Fine.”

“Yeah! This is going to be _ awesome _! Oh! I’m so excited!” Bow pumps his arms in the air, waving them around with more energy than I’ve ever seen in a singular human being. It’s childish, but charming in its own way. 

Glimmer laughs in response, and I have to admit, when she’s not making such a sour face, she’s pretty. The mirth in her eyes dies out when her gaze shifts to me, and I’m a bit surprised to find that the hostility that’s been there every time we’ve interacted is absent. 

I feel myself tense when Glimmer approaches and sets to work on the restraints at my ankles. I feel relieved when the cord comes loose, sighing through my nose as I roll my ankles a bit. Glimmer stands me up after a minute. “Feet apart.” She says, stepping back and doing the same. She enters an earth bending stance, wide and solid and immovable. “Like this.” Her voice is commanding, but more neutral than she has been. 

I listen, spreading my stance to match hers. It’s similar to fire bending, just a little different. How far you bend your knees is a little different, but I fall into the stance like it’s natural. I look at Glimmer, raising a brow at her critical gaze. After a few seconds, she nods her approval and mutters a quiet, “now don’t move,” before she bends earth up over my feet. The earth comes as high as mid shin and if I shift at all, I can feel it tap against my legs. I try to lift one of my feet, and it comes a couple centimeters off the ground before it gets caught. I sigh, resigning myself to the fact that, okay, so maybe I won’t be able to get out of this so easily. 

“Good. Alright Bow, untie her wrists,” her gaze shifts back to me. “If you try anything, I mean anything, and I will take you all the way to Ba Sing Se in a tiny earth ball.” I give her a flat stare in response. “It gets uncomfortable after a while, trust me.” Ah, there’s the animosity again. 

It’s then that I feel Bow’s hands on my restraints, pulling at the knot until I feel the rope loosen. I pull my hands in front of me and rub my wrists, looking at Glimmer, “So, what now?” 

Glimmer bends again, pulling up two decent sized boulders, placing one to her left and another one to my right. “This might be a bit difficult because you can’t use your feet to help guide the rock,” she glances at me apologetically, “but this is the movement you want to take.” She stands up straight then, her arms bent, hands curled into tight fists, her body facing me, but her head turned towards the rock. She steps forward, her foot colliding harshly with the earth as her fist makes contact with the rock and sends it off in the opposite direction. It pulls down several trees and tears up the grass as it goes, before it finally slows to a stop about 70 meters away.

I look over my own boulder, taking a deep breath. (I’m doing this. I’m actually going to try to earthbend. How ridiculous.) I pull in my arms, like Glimmer did, hands curled into fists as I take another deep breath. I can’t step forward like Glimmer did, but I lift my foot a little bit like a did before and bring it down right as I connect my fist with the boulder. 

Well that hurt less than I thought it would. I realize, a little belatedly, that that’s because the boulder moved, though not much, just a few feet before it topples onto its side. I stare at it for a few seconds, my mind processing that I just moved a rock. Did I just move a rock? I feel my eyes widen, and my breath catches when I finally realize that yes, I did in fact just move a rock, and yes I know I’m stuck on the fact that I just moved a _ rock _ . With _ bending _. 

I look at Glimmer and Bow and they are looking at me like I’ve just told them that I’m the Fire Lord. But I’m not the Fire Lord, am I? No, because apparently, I’m the Avatar. The fucking Avatar. The same Avatar that’s the enemy of my nation. How has no one figured this out? How have _ I _ not figured this out? What do I do now? The Fire Lord could put me in jail for this. He will want to lock me up so I don’t ruin the Fire Nation’s plans, _ again _. This is bad. This is so, so bad. 

“Hey, woah, woah, woah. It’s okay. Calm down.” I feel Bow’s hands on my arms and realize that he’s gotten a lot closer since I last paid attention. I feel a little lightheaded, my chest aches, and I realize distantly that I might be hyperventilating. No, I am hyperventilating. I also realize that the earth around my feet has disappeared, because at some point I collapsed into a sitting position. 

Bow’s crouched down with me, he’s speaking slow and calm and it’s soothing in a way, “Hey, you need to slow down, okay?” He pulls my hands up towards my face, “cup your hands over your nose and mouth.” 

Bow guides me through a couple slow breathing exercises, and when I finally feel like the air hasn’t disappeared from the planet somehow, I realize that Bow must be really kind to seem genuinely concerned for an enemy. I find myself wondering how Catra would react if some Earth Kingdom soldier started having some kind of attack. How would she handle that?

“You good?” Bow asks, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder. 

I nod, casting a glance at Glimmer. Her eyebrows are knitted, but in concern for once as she wrings her hands. I look back at Bow, feeling a bit sheepish as I mutter out a, “thank you.” 

“Anytime, uh…” He looks at me expectantly, and I almost feel myself scoff. But this guy did just helped me out, so I throw him a bone.

“Adora.”

“Anytime, Adora!” He’s too pleased with himself. “You know, I think we should be friends.”

I gape at him, leaning back and away from him. I’ve seen him smile at Glimmer, but witnessing it this close is a little overwhelming. I hear Glimmer sputter behind him, probably just as thrown off as I am. 

“What?” He shoots Glimmer a look before turning back to me. “We could be like the Best Friend Squad!” The end comes out a little shrill, Bow’s excitement reaching horrifying levels. 

“Absolutely not!” Glimmer and I shout in unison. We look at each other and then back to Bow.

“See! You guys are already in sync!” He stands, hopping from one foot to another. 

How did I end up stuck with these lunatics?

“Bow, she’s our prisoner. C’mon, we should get her to Omashu as soon as we can.” Glimmer says, looking suddenly tired. 

Bow wilts under the reminder. 

_ Prisoner _. 

It’s not a pretty word. It guarantees some level of discomfort for me.

“Yeah.” Bow nods.

I realize too late that this would have been a good opportunity to get away. Glimmer has already pulled up earth to encase me and orders my hands behind my back. I roll out my shoulders while I can before placing my arms in a position they’re already tired of. Bow ties the cord back around my wrists. I could burn him, throw fire in his face just for the hell of it, but I feel guilty just from the thought. 

Glimmer lets me out when Bow is finished and we start walking, Bow in front of me, and Glimmer behind me. If we are headed towards Omashu, it means we are moving South East, at least from the village anyway. It’s not much, but it gives me a sense of direction, a sense of place, and that’s enough to satisfy me for the moment.

\---

I’ve tried to make a break for it four times now. Glimmer has caught me. Three times. Bow caught me the last time, which was more of a surprise than I care to admit. I would probably be more embarrassed if my wrists weren’t still bound. It’s harder to run, and that’s my excuse. It’s valid, at least. 

We’ve made camp, the night closing in around us with each minute that passes. We already ate, they were kind enough to feed me. I mean, actually feed me, not just give me scraps. Bow isn’t a half bad chef. It’s better than Catra or I could have done, so I appreciate it greatly. 

Glimmer agreed to keep first watch while Bow sleeps. He zonked out almost immediately, an impressive feat, honestly. I didn’t know how he managed it out here. He snores, though not loud, and Glimmer busies herself with keeping the fire going. 

I feel the pull too, the lull of sleep that threatens to take over despite laying on hard earth. The past few days feel like it’s finally catching up to me, and I feel my eyelids slide shut without my consent. It’s cold, but I’m starting to not care because sleep sounds so _ good _ right now. 

“Did you really not know that you’re the Avatar?” Glimmer asks, her eyes trained on the fire. 

I huff a little irritably, turning to face her. “No.” 

She looks at me again, confused. “You keep acting like it’s a bad thing.”

“It is.” I answer, closing my eyes again, determined to try and sleep.

“Why though?” 

I ignore her, trying to fight my frustration and settle back down.

“Hey, I asked you a question.”

I fake a snore, loud and obnoxious. Glimmer isn’t having it.

“Hey.” She is closer now, coming over to poke at my forehead.

I groan and roll onto my back. “It just is. You should know that.” I crack an eye open to look up at her. She doesn’t look convinced, just more confused.

“Okay… Well I’ve been thinking,” she looks away, almost guilty, “maybe we could take a detour.”

That grabs my attention, both eyes snapping open as I raise an eyebrow at her. 

She glances at me, and then back at the fire. “We should stop by one of the Avatar temples. It’s practically on the way.” 

My eyebrows knit together, because all the temples in the Fire Nation have abandoned the Avatar. I’ve never been to one that still worships the Avatar. I’m not really sure what it’ll be like, and I don’t really know why Glimmer would want to go. But it looks like she’s going to answer that question for me.

“It might be good for you, to connect to your past lives. Aren’t you curious? It might help you understand what the Avatar really is.”

“The Avatar is a menace.” I answer, glowering at her.

She throws me a pitying look, “Yeah, I definitely think we should go.” 

I huff, but neither of us say anything after that. Glimmer turns back to the campfire. Bow lets out a loud snore before shifting and growing quieter. It’s weird that I feel almost safe here, soothed by the warmth of the fire and the dark the falls over us. Strangely enough I trust Glimmer, and I trust Bow. At least enough to try to sleep around them. I finally manage it after some time.

I don’t dream. I never really do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!. Please feel free to leave any constructive criticism in the comments.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man remember when I said I wanted to post the chapter two week from the last one and then my car got totaled by some jackass? Yeah... lol. Shit happens I guess, that's the main reason why this was late. Now it's like, hello school and work and anime cons and other life things. It's a lot.
> 
> So I'm sorry for the delay, but here it is! Sorry it's a bit shorter, the next one should be about normal length. Again, I can say that I hope for a two week update, but who knows cause this semester is designed to systematically destroy my free time, so we will see. Like I said, no promises. 
> 
> Thank you again to my beta reader for being patient and not pressuring me to write because my life became stressful lol. I appreciate you.

Catra

I feel my tail flick irritably behind me. It’s almost sunset and we  _ still _ haven’t found Adora. Of fucking course, she gets split up from the group. Shadow Weaver might actually kill me for this, and I wish I was exaggerating. After a bit of searching in and around the village, we found traces of a fight hidden not too deep in the woods to the northern end of the village. I can’t believe Adora got taken down by an earthbender. I mean, what the fuck? 

We are in the middle of tracking the path, but we are getting to the point that Shadow Weaver just might kill us for not coming back at all rather than not coming back without Adora. It would probably be faster if it was just me anyway, if I’m being honest. The only problem is, if Adora is indisposed, I don’t know if I can take on whoever took her down. It might be better to use stealth anyway, depending on the situation. (Besides, I don’t know if I can take anymore of Kyle’s endless babbling.) 

“Okay, here’s how this is going to go. You guys go back to the ship and wait, I’m going to keep looking for Adora.” I say, not bothering to hide how smug I am at giving the order. It’s something that I enjoy, telling people what to do. Although I think my favorite thing is tricking Adora into doing what I want. It’s always hilarious and more often than not it leaves her in a playful mood. 

“And what if you don’t come back?” Lonnie asks, crossing her arms and raising a brow. 

I smirk, “Oh, we’ll come back. I don’t care if I have to burn this whole shithole of a nation to the ground, I’m not letting the Earth Kingdom think they’re better than us.” 

Lonnie just continues to stare at me, looking unimpressed. “Okay, but what if you  _ don’t _ come back?” she asks again, a little less concerned a little snarkier. 

“Alright, if we don’t show up in the next couple days, you can head on home. We can just find another ship.” I say, mildly agitated, but I let it go. She has a point.

Lonnie nods, looking towards the rest of the group for their signs of acceptance before she glances back at me, “I hope you find her.”

I scoff, but Lonnie knows there’s no real heat behind it, “me too.”

We part ways, Lonnie taking the group back to the ship, and me continuing to follow our only lead, a small path that led through the woods, one with fresh tracks that I hope belong to Adora’s kidnappers.

With the others gone, I don’t have to hold onto my air of nonchalance. I can let my shoulders slump, the sigh I’ve been holding back finally making its way out, ending in a groan. I feel my ears press flat against my head, knowing that if Adora was here she would start pestering me, asking ‘what’s wrong?’ 

This is just so  _ frustrating _ . I’ve never been worried about Adora before. I’ve never really had the need to be worried about Adora before. It’s a foreign feeling, one I’m not at all okay with. So, the sooner I find Adora and get everything back to normal, the better. Adora, is rubbing off on me if I’m actually fretting over her. 

Another thing is, I miss her. It’s easy to miss Adora. (Not that I would ever admit that out loud.) Adora is just fun to be around, whether it’s while she’s in a good mood or while she’s irritated. Either way, it makes for good banter. Sometimes if I really rile her up enough, she’ll get up in my face and ask me if I could ever so kindly stop pissing her off. That’s usually when I concede, it’s just fun to get a rise out of her. 

Adora knows me though, probably knows me better than I do. She’s good at making me calm down, although sometimes I don’t let her. She likes to reach out to me, she tried to give me a hug once. It would be fine if it didn’t put me on edge in a completely different way. But that’s the thing, is when she does shit like that, it  _ does _ calm me down. It’s terrifying. There’s a level of control that Adora has over my life, whether she knows it or not. (She definitely doesn’t.) (If she did, I would have figured it out by now. She’s a terrible liar.) I wish I could hate it; I’ve, in fact, tried very hard to hate it, but I don’t. 

This whole situation is grating on my nerves, prickling my skin. I had to get away from the group, mostly because I know I'm twitchy when I get like this. I'm prone to pacing and I'll tug at the edges of my sleeves or the ends of my hair. It's an anxiety that's hard to beat, one that Adora's pointed out to me more than once. I try not to show it so much, especially when she pulls that shit where she leans against my arm or pulls me into a half hug.

It drives me insane when people assume we're dating. Adora will just look at them, shocked, and scoffs. "What? We're just friends." 

_ Friends. _

God, I hate that word. I've never hated that word so much before until I noticed that Adora uses it all the time. It feels inaccurate, to use the word friends. We’ve known each other for too long, been through too much together. It just feels like too simple of a word to describe the depth of our relationship. Adora’s flippant attitude towards the connection is what really aggravates me though. 

To be honest, I don’t really give a shit what other people think about us, but it’s more what Adora thinks. Because clearly, she doesn’t think. She walks around with a dopey smile on her face and gets along with almost anyone, which is aggravating in and of itself. It puts me in a position to play and make friends, which I realize I shouldn’t exactly complain about. The only friend I’ve made on my own is Scorpia, the rest all started with Adora and her easy charm. People just  _ like _ Adora, and it’s a quality I don’t think I’ll ever be able to achieve because a lot of people find me hard to get along with. I know it’s true. Some people don’t know when I’m joking or when I’m serious, so snarky comments just don’t come across the way I intend. But it’s okay, because Adora gets it. Of course, she does, the insufferable bitch. 

The track leads into another forest, this one considerably less dense than the other one, but it makes me feel a little more at ease being surrounded by trees instead of open fields. The path cuts through the trees with a purpose and I recall the earth kingdom map easily enough in my mind. The direction the trail is heading points in the obvious direction of Omashu and that alone has me picking up my pace. 

Despite all Adora’s quips, I’m not actually sure I could sneak into a massive city and smuggle out a whole other person. Sneaking around is a specialty of mine, I’m good at being quiet and fluid. Adora on the other hand, is not. Everything about her is loud and clumsy and proud and she would manage to give us away not even five minutes after I find her. So Omashu is not an option.

If I’m really lucky, having Adora in tow will slow them down enough that I can catch up within the day. It’s good that they’re on foot, really. If they had mounts I would be beyond fucked. I might be fast, but I’m not faster than a mount, that’s for sure.

If it weren’t for the hints of torn up earth, I would question how they’re moving Adora. She’s not exactly light weight. All that training has put a lot of muscle on her, even if it’s not that noticeable at first glance. Carrying her long distance would take a toll on anyone, even some big muscle head would get tired after a couple hours. 

I sigh again, fingers clutching at my own hair and I try not to tug too hard, but the irritation is a force that pushes and pulls at me every time I think of Adora’s capture. It comes in waves, I realize, something that seems so improbable, impossible even, and here it is, happening in front of me. Adora was supposed to be leading this mission, but it’s fallen onto my shoulders now. The Fire Lord’s daughter is the obvious choice for who takes up the title of leader, but it wasn’t supposed to be me. I wasn’t supposed to have to worry about anything, that was Adora’s job. I was just supposed to be here to make sure she didn’t spontaneously combust from her own nerves. 

But now it’s my turn, the stress and tension knitting my shoulder blades together uncomfortably. I almost feel like my eye is about to start twitching, which never happens, a new symptom of the overwhelming pressure that comes with being the Fire Lord’s daughter. Sometimes I wish I could be Adora, The Golden Child, oblivious to all the pain and trouble surrounding me, living my life like it’s worth something more. Instead I sit here with my ears pressed flat to my head, my tail swishing back and forth restlessly as I follow the obvious path of Adora’s kidnappers. 

She’s such an idiot, but I know if anyone is going to be punished for it, it’s going to be me.

\---

I’ve reached a point where it looks like they may have stopped to rest. There’s an abnormal amount of earthbending around here, and from this point I can make out three sets of prints instead of two, an obvious shift that Adora must have started walking herself from here on. She might have been knocked out, which I’m not sure happened, but based on the evidence, it’s pretty obvious. What a dumb bitch. 

The earthbending around here is a bit weird and I notice Adora's footprints stamped deep into the earth at one spot, her stance wide. She must have been trying to fight them off again but couldn't get the advantage. Which is really unfortunate because it would be so much easier to bring her home if she had managed to get away. She's so useless sometimes.

I sigh, pressing my palms to my eyes as I feel the stress from before welling up then fizzle out again. I’m trying not to focus on it, trying not to let it consume me the way Adora does. I’m better at handling pressure than she is. I can handle a lot before I get so worked up that I can’t focus. Adora on the other hand is a mess. I can’t help but wonder how she is dealing with all of this. 

On the bright side, Adora is awake. Her being awake means that when I catch up to them, we’ll be able to make a run for it because I won’t have to drag her body around. (Which was not going to happen. She’s too heavy for that shit. I’d rather leave her here than carry her all the way to the nearest port.) (I’m kidding, of course, but still.) This means we have a chance to get back to Lonnie and the others, but I need to keep pressing on. 

I only have a few hours of daylight left, it’s probable that they are hours ahead of me. I might be able to lessen that gap during the night, but it’ll be harder to see during that time. Besides, I really should rest because I’m expecting a battle, and if Adora had trouble, then I’m probably fucked. I refuse to admit that Adora’s a better bender than me, because she’s not. She just happens to win during sparring more often because I get too impatient to deal with her shit. But if Adora lost to these earthbenders, then I have my work cut out for me. 

I look to the ground again, my eyes following the trail as it continues toward Omashu. There’s only one way I’m going to get Adora back, and that means moving forward. So, I leave the earthbending behind me and delve deeper into the woods, staying alert for any signs of a group or Adora. I’m going to find her; I don’t care what it takes.

\---

I don't realize until an hour later that there was a lack of scorch marks at that last clearing. Meaning Adora probably didn't have the chance to even get any firebending in.

I’ve already decided that if I find Adora injured, I won’t be taking prisoners with these earthbenders. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feel free to leave constructive criticism!


End file.
